


SOS Coffee Date

by rebelmeg



Series: Rebelmeg's Tony Stark Bingo Fills 2019 [14]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, Awesome Phil Coulson, Clint and Natasha mentioned, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, background pepperony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 18:24:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17882930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelmeg/pseuds/rebelmeg
Summary: Pepper and Phil are high-power business people that make decisions on a daily basis that could affect the entire world.  They also sometimes want to strangle the people they work with, so coffee dates where they vent to each other are a must.Written for my TSB square A2 - Pepper Potts/Rescue





	SOS Coffee Date

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone else a big fan of the Pepper and Phil besties thing? Because I REALLY AM!
> 
> The delightful [yuuki_Illene](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuuki_Illene) was my superb beta!

It was the very definition of a Monday, Pepper thought to herself as she opened her company email to see that she already had well over a dozen messages to deal with, all of which had piled up since lunchtime.

The fact that it was actually Tuesday didn’t improve the whole Monday Mood at all. It was fake Monday, but all the crap she was dealing with wasn’t fake.

Holding back a sigh, she clicked on the first email and was halfway through perusing a project pitch up for approval when her phone lit up and buzzed with an incoming text. She glanced over at it distractedly, but when she saw who the message was from, her attention was successfully diverted.

Sitting back in her chair and crossing her legs, she palmed her phone and opened up the new text.

_From Phil:  
I’m in town. SOS coffee?_

One side of her mouth lifted in a smirk as she checked the time, then replied.

_From Pepper:  
Yes. In 15?_

_From Phil:  
*thumbs up* _

At least she wasn’t the only one suffering today.

* * *

The designated spot for the Coulson and Potts SOS coffee dates in Manhattan was a little coffee shop and bakery a few streets away from SI, on the corner by a stop sign so Pepper could conveniently tuck and roll without the driver having to stop and find a parking spot.

“Hey, Phil.” Pepper leaned in for a cheek kiss as she entered the coffee shop. “You look like you’re having a day. How long do we have?”

“I’ve got 25 minutes, and you look offensively good.”

“Aw, thanks, it’s the makeup.” The two sat down at one of the small tables, and placed their coffee and pastry order with the waitress that immediately appeared. Pepper set her small purse on the table and folded her hands next to it, focusing on Phil. “Okay, ten minutes each to vent, and then five to calm down. You first.”

Phil sighed heavily, then launched into his tirade. “Okay, so that new assistant I’ve been telling you about, Hales?”

“Mm hmm. Don’t tell me he hasn't figured out the reports yet?”

“It’s even _worse_.”

Pepper’s voice was sympathetic. “Oh, Phil.”

“It is taking literally everything in my power to stop myself from strangling him every time I have to talk to him about this. I’m going insane, and he is driving the bus that is taking me there.”

“Well, if you do get carted off to Bellevue or someplace, I’ll still love you. Would you like me to send flowers or balloons?”

Phil gave her a flat look, but there was a smile teasing at the corners of his mouth as he responded dryly, “Gee, thanks.”

Pepper laughed and smiled her thanks at the waitress that had just delivered their coffee and pastries. “So what did he do today?”

“You will not believe this, seriously.”

She looked at him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. “I think you vastly underestimate the kinds of things I’ll believe at this point in my life.”

“That’s true, you probably will believe it.”

Phil took a bracing sip of his coffee with an extra espresso shot and six packets of sugar, then launched into his explanation, involving staples, documents in triplicate, missing signatures, and a bit of wild gesticulating that made Pepper grin as she enjoyed her cinnamon roll and latte.

“And if I have to tell him one more time not to use black ink on the forms for legal, I might legitimately hold him down and tattoo it on his arm in bold letters.”

“Long as you use the right color ink.” Pepper winked, and Phil huffed out a laugh despite himself.

“I’ll double check before I start. Like he should be doing.” Phil sighed again, but this time it was a long sigh of weariness, instead of keyed-up frustration. “Okay, my ten minutes are up. How’s the new PA?”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “Made a snide comment the other day about how nice it must have been to sleep my way to the top of the ladder.”

Phil’s eyes went huge. “Oh, she did not.”

“She did. However, rather than getting all riled up about it, I just made sure to give her every opportunity to appreciate the work it takes to not only be a PA, but the CEO of the biggest tech conglomerate in the world.” Pepper’s smile was sly and self-satisfied, and Phil chuckled around his bite of croissant.

“Oh, I bet she didn’t know what hit her.”

“I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t left my chair all day today except to go to the bathroom and attend a finance meeting. Every cup of coffee, every file, every report, every signature is being delivered at the hands of my new PA, and she looks run off her feet. I regret nothing.”

“I don’t know how anyone can look at the woman behind Iron Man and think she’s anything less than a force to be reckoned with,” Phil commented casually, saluting Pepper with his coffee cup. “It’s why I have a brain crush on you. So what are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“There will be more sitting, for both of us. I’ve finally gotten around to scheduling a few meetings I’ve been putting off, and guess who will be taking the minutes?”

“Oh, you scheduled the budget meeting.” Phil’s eyes danced with evil delight.

Pepper’s grin was shark-like with viciousness as she nodded. “I did. It starts as soon as I get back.”

“She’s going to want to slit her wrists with her own pencil by the time she’s done in there.”

“Yes she is.” Pepper murmured, feeling extremely pleased with herself as she finished off her cinnamon roll. “We’ll see how she’s feeling about things tonight before I plan out tomorrow, though. I was going to leave early and get a mani/pedi before my date with Tony, but I just might have something unpleasant come up.” She shrugged delicately. “We’ll see.”

Phil was laughing, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head at the ceiling. “Oh man. Pepper, what did we do in a past life to deserve the people we work with today?”

“Probably something naughty.” Pepper checked the time again. “I think I have time to rant about Barbara.”

Phil groaned. “She’s not still fighting you over the payroll changes, is she?”

“Every inch of the way.”

A quick rant about Barbara took up the rest of Pepper’s whine time, and the two sat in companionable silence for a moment as they sipped at their nearly finished coffees.

“By the way, Romanoff wanted me to tell you she’s willing to teach you how to kill someone with your thighs if you’ll teach her how to deal with Stark without wanting to kill him.”

Pepper grinned, and possibly blushed. “I will admit, it helps a lot to sleep with him.”

Phil choked on his coffee, barely saving his tie from getting stained by the dribble that escaped his mouth. Pepper obligingly scooted a few napkins over while she chuckled.

“Honestly though, you just have to keep in mind that most of what he does in front of other people is an act. One of his masks. He doesn’t let anyone in until he trusts them, and he doesn’t trust easy, especially nowadays. Natasha has an extra mark against her where that’s concerned, given how they met.”

Phil nodded, looking somber.

“That being said… honesty, sometimes hard honesty, is always good. And he is often more willing to cooperate when he’s in a good mood, so fresh coffee and an offering of food will up her chances. Yours too, by the way.”

“I’ll pass that along.”

“We have just enough time for one good thing each, then we’ve gotta go. My driver is circling the block.” Pepper signaled for the check (it was her turn to pay) while Phil thought it over.

“Hmm. Oh! You remember Barton, the agent I told you about, stunningly competent agent and trash fire of a human being?”

“Indeed I do, did he like those bandaids you got him?”

“Yes, he wore a Sleeping Beauty one over a cut on the bridge of his nose last week. Anyway, he finished a mission yesterday, and no broken bones.”

“Aw, yay!”

“He gets really cranky when he has to wear a cast.”

“I don’t blame him.”

They stood and moved towards the door while Pepper thought about her good thing to end their venting session on a high note.

“I had something I forgot to text you, I’m trying to remember… oh, that’s right. I broke the heel on my favorite pair of black Louboutin’s, but I tracked down a replacement pair that is exactly the same.”

“Did you go through that guy I told you about?”

“I did! Your gushing praise was right on the money.”

They tossed their coffee cups and napkins into the garbage on the way out the door, and Pepper smiled at the way Phil’s shoulders were much more relaxed. “Think you can tackle the rest of the day now?”

“I will make it. Had my caffeine, carbo-load, and rant. We’re all good.” He leaned up to kiss her cheek. “Good luck with the PA.”

Pepper kissed him back and squeezed his shoulder. “Thanks. Don’t kill the newbie.”

And with that, the two friends split up and left in separate directions, the two heads of two of the most powerful and influential organizations in the world, ready to face the workday again.


End file.
